-[birds chirping] -[church bell chimes] [mellow, bright guitar music] [Christopher Nupen] The sounds of the Spanish guitar have echoed down these streets since the beginnings of Spanish history.

An instrument of the people and rough, melancholy echo of the Andalusian soul.

In the early years of this century, a young Andalusian boy came here to Granada for the first time.

Like all the others, he knew the Spanish guitar.

But in the strange way that intuition can transcend experience, he saw it in a different light and set out on a remarkable quest.

[indistinct chatter] [Christopher] Within 20 years, he had taught himself the instrument, revolutionized the technique, and won acceptance for it on the concert platforms of Europe, an achievement unique in Western music.

That boy was Andrés Segovia.

[ Capricho Catalán continues] [piece ends] [cheerful violin concerto] [cheers and applause] [mellow guitar] [Christopher] Andrés Segovia, the Andalusian who in his own lifetime has won acceptance for the Spanish guitar in concert halls all over the world... has returned to Andalusia at 75 to build a new home in the South and to keep the first summer for himself in 35 years.

[piece continues] He has built his house, Los Olivos, on the Costa del Sol, as close as he could to Granada, where he spent his childhood, and set it in an old olive grove high on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean.

-[piece continues] -[insects chittering] [Andrés] [speaking English] [Emilita speaking Spanish] [Andrés] [speaking English] [Christopher] When you began your career, there virtually wasn't a repertoire, was there?

[Christopher] When did you first play Bach?

[soft, lilting Baroque guitar music] [piece continues] [piece ends] [Andrés] [speaking English] [birds chirping] [soft guitar music] -[insects chittering] -[piece continues] [melancholy guitar music] -[piece continues] -[birds chirping] -[piece continues] -[birds chirping] [water running] [piece ends] [insects chittering] [birds chirping] [cheerful guitar music] [piece continues] [piece ends] [insects chittering] [Andrés] [speaking English] [upbeat guitar music] [piece ends] [Andrés] [speaking English] [midtempo Baroque guitar] [piece ends] [birds chirping] [Andrés] [speaking English] [church bells chiming] [cheerful guitar music] [tempo quickens] [piece ends] [lively chatter] [Andrés] [speaking English] [lively chatter] [Christopher] Maestro, why was it that in spite of the vogue of the guitar in the 19th century, that still when you began, there was no repertoire?

[speaking English] [plays a simple melody] [plays same melody lower] [plays same melody lower] [plays plucky melodies] [richer, more lush] [bright chords] [soft strumming] [melancholy guitar music] [piece ends] [birds chirping] [Andrés] [speaking English] [soft guitar music] [piece ends] [upbeat guitar music] [piece ends] -[birds chirping] -[water running] [Andrés] [speaking English] [soft, gentle guitar music] [piece continues] [birds chirping] [piece ends] [Andrés] [speaking English] [upbeat guitar music] [piece ends] [Christopher] Maestro, what is the first reaction of a composer when you try to interest him in writing for the guitar?

[speaking English] [flowing guitar music] [Andrés] [speaking English] [ Fandanguillo continues] [piece ends] [scraping] [Andrés] [speaking English] [soft, dreamy guitar music] [piece ends] [insects chittering] [Andrés] [speaking English] [soulful guitar music] [Christopher] Maestro, you've lived at various times in Montevideo, New York, Geneva and Madrid.

What brought you back to Andalusia?

[speaking English] [Christopher] You were born right in the middle of the flamenco country.

And yet you've said that you've had to rescue the guitar from the flamenco players.

What is your attitude to flamenco now?

[Christopher] You nonetheless have always admired the flamenco poetry, the traditional Andalusian poetry.

[Christopher] Garcia Lorca?

[Christopher] Those are the poems that were set by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.

[dreamy guitar music] [Andrés] "El viento... "Platero que anda manso entre los pinos quemados se llega poco a poco."

[piece continues] "Luego se echa la tierra fosca... "y, a la larga copla de madre, se adormila igual a un nino."

[piece continues] [piece ends] [insects chittering] [Andrés] [speaking English] [dogs barking] [Christopher] Maestro, it seems ironic that some of the most Andalusia music associated with you and the guitar was written by two Catalans, Albéniz and Granados, and written originally for the piano.

[speaking English] [Christopher] But there's always been a certain amount of prejudice against your transcribing for the guitar.

Even in Spain.

[Christopher] Did either of them ever hear his transcriptions for the guitar?

[Christopher] Do you know what his reactions were?

[flowing guitar music] [piece ends] [birds chirping] [Andrés] [speaking English] [audience applause] [audience applause] [speaking English] [audience laughter] [cheers and applause] [Christopher] Maestro, how long do you expect to continue your concert career?

Mm... [speaking English] [Christopher] Did you ever drea in those early years that the guitar would be as widely accepted in your own lifetime as it has been?

[Christopher] Did you ever imagine that it would be taught in the... in so many conservatoires as it is now?

[insects chittering] [brooding guitar music] [piece ends] [birds chirping] [Andrés] [speaking English] [soft, gentle guitar music] [piece continues] -[piece continues] -[birds chirping] [piece ends] [Christopher] Andalusian poetry has always been preoccupied wit the anguish of life and the tragedy of death.

What is your approach to that?

[speaking English] [Christopher] Do you think that there will be anything lef for you in the other world?

[soulful guitar music] [piece continues] [piece ends]